Fairtrade Fortnight: Five reasons why you should ditch normal chocolate and buy Fairtrade

Imagine a world without chocolate. No chocolate biscuits, no chocolate cake, no chocolate pudding at Christmas, no Easter eggs, and no chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Unimaginable? Well, that could potentially become our reality if we do not support the farmers that provide us with cocoa beans, which make our chocolate.

If we do not support farmers, chocolate could cost up to £7 a bar. This is because, at the moment, chocolate consumption is far higher than chocolate production, which could lead to a rapid price rise. Movements like Fairtrade help support, empower and encourage more farmers.

The Fairtrade Foundation works directly with businesses, consumers and campaigners to make trade deliver for farmers and workers. As a movement, they help small scale farmers and workers who are marginalised from trade in a variety of ways and carefully monitor the impact of fair trade in these communities.

Fair trade is extremely beneficial to farmers and their communities. It makes a significant difference to their lives through:

Empowering communities to organise into cooperatives and improve their negotiating position within the supply chain. This enables them to negotiate higher prices for their products rather than the conventional market price.

Fair trade improves access to agricultural services like organic training and premium markets. As a result farmers have an incentive to farm better and sell more.

Buying Fairtrade chocolate will help support farmers socially, environmentally and economically. Finally, it will help chocoholics feed their sweet tooth!

So, here are five reasons why you should buy Fairtrade chocolate:

No more chocolate

The obvious, we may face chocolate shortage. Fairtrade helps farmers in feeling empowered and benefits them socially, environmentally and economically.

No child labour

Cocoa used in fair trade chocolate is not harvested by children. A study published by Tulane University revealed that over 1.8 million children work on cocoa farms in Ghana and Ivory Coast. These children are often made to work in harsh conditions, some are forced to work and very few end up being able to go to school.

To keep farmers in work

For many, farming is the only work around. This helps them feed their families and provide their children with education that will potentially help them get out of poverty.

It’s good for the environment

Fair trade is not solely good for people, it is also good for the environment. For example, the Fairtrade Foundation works with farmers on small cocoa farms to develop sustainable harvest that preserve local habitats and increase biodiversity. Most Fairtrade chocolate is also grown in shade, meaning farms include other growth, like fruit trees, that grow tall and provide a canopy that cocoa tree prefer.

It tastes SO good

It’s no doubt that Fairtrade chocolate is delicious so it’s a win-win situation for yourself and the farmers!